Cryptograph



Oct. 30, 1923. 1,472,775

' H. A. T. WAH NOE CRYP'I'OGRAPH Filed March 28, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1.

Arr)? Oct. 30, 1923. u 1,472,775

-H. A. T. WAHNOE CRYPTOGRAPH Patented Oct. 30, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CRYPTOGRAPH.

Application filed latch 28, 1923. Serial No. 628,287.

Y '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LHERMANN AUoUs'r THORVALD WAHNiiE, a subject of the King of Denmark, residing at Copenhagen, in the Kingdom of Denmark, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cryptographs, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an automatic cryptograph which in consequence of its nature may be used for a number of various purposes.

The distinguishing feature of the present cryptograph is one or more sets of double drumsin the following referred to as duplex alternators-being each in similar manneras the commutator of an ordinary electromotor fitted with a number of segments, the said segments being electrically interconnected from drum to drum and from one duplex alternator to the other one in any suitable manner, the said duplex alternators with their interconnections being inserted as electrical intermediate members between the keys in a letter key-board and moving mechanisms for a system of type levers, the said keys when operated in ordinary manner actuating the type levers by electrical means and, at the same time, causin the interposed .duplex alternators to alter t eir mutual position, so as to efi'ect a constantly varied mutual transposition of the letters of the al habet, numerals and signs.

he invention is shown in outline on the drawing, in which- Fig. 1, is a diagrammatic view of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the system of duplex alternators and the means for operat:

ing the same, and ig. 3 is a side view of the driving mechanism for the same.

The number of segments on each duplex alternator is adjusted according to the number of alphabet letters with accompanying I numerals, signs, spaces etc. Supposing for instance the number of letters, signs etc. to be fifty in all, then there must necessarily by fifty segments on each of the double a ternators. A ainst each of these segments, which are mar ed L on the drawing, rests a small brush or carbon not shown on the drawing, however.

the said d On the drawing, the duplex alternators V V and V are shown as drums o, and o, disposed inside of one another ('vi and '0 '0 and '0 and Q1 and '0 respectively), arrangement being selected mostly for the sake of clearness, although in practice there is reall nothin to prevent such construction. l referab y, however, the two drums of" the duplex alternators should be disposed one below the other one, and the space between them in which the connections pass from the segments on one drum to the segments on the other one should be en cased, 1

Each of the segments on the outer drum 4),,- in the duplex alternator V to the left in' the Figure is connected, by way of a switch S, with one of the push buttons or keys '1 ma letter keyboard. From the inside drum o in the same duplex alternator V .the connecting wires pass each from the brushes to a segment'on the outer drum o in the next duplex alternator V and from the inner drum 0,, of this duplex alternator onto the segments on the inner drum 4),, of the duplex alternator V,, the segments of the outer drum '0 of the latter being each, by We of the switch S, connected to a magnet coi M, for instance one magnet coil for each letter, numeral sign, etc., the said magnet coils each actuating one type lever of a set of type levers as in ordinary Writing machines or ordinary printing telegraph apparatuses. The cryptograph, however, may also be combined with a perforating machine driven for instance by compressed air and aprinter, which is inserted in order to reproduce the message in shape of ordinary letters.

If now the position of the duplex alternators remained unaltered, then each of the letter keys. or push buttons T, when dopressed, would alwa s actuate, one definite type lever, and the etter concerned would thus always be reproduced in one and the same manner In the present cryptograph, however, automatic transposition of alphabet letters, numerals and signs is provided for by the arrangement that the first duplex alternator V whenever a push button or key in the kgy board is depressed, or has been depresse automatically-41y electrical or mechanical meansmakes of a revthe third alternator, V, advances one seg-,

olution, n being .off segments on the periphery, i. e. one'segment forward for each depression of a key.

Whenever in this manner the duplex alternator V has made a full revolution, then the next duplex alternator in the series, here V advances also one segment, and for each full revolution of this duplex alternator also m'ent forward, and soforth, whereby a very lar e number of variations will be attain n the drawing three duplex alternators" are shown, but an number ma be used,

and the number 0 variations w1ll increase with the number of alternators used. Instead of the alternators, as mentioned above, rotating forward one segment at atime, there is nothing to prevent them from rotating two or more segments forward at a time, and the rotation may be performed in irregular manner, for instance in leaps of now one, then two, then one, then three segments, all according to the adjustment the drum v andfurther on byway of the conductor 17 to the segment 5 on the drumv '0 then by way of not. shown conductor to the segment 5 on the drum 0, thence by a way of the conductor 18 to the-segment 4 on the drum c, thence by way of -a not shown conductor to the segment 4 on the drums, and thence b way of the conductor 19, the switch the conductor 20, the magnet coil M for the type lever supporting the type E and back to the battery 11. The letter C is thus in this case reproduced as the letter E. When the ke is released and, thereby, the circuit is broken,

- then the duplex alternator V advances one segment forward. When the key is new again depressed for the letter C, the current passes as before from the battery 11 by way of conductors 12 and'13, contact 14,

conductor 15, switch 5 and conductor 16,

but now to the segment 5 on the drum o the said segment 5 occupying now the former position of. the. segment 6. From the segment"5jt he current p on by way of a not shown conductor to the segment 5 on the drum '0 thence by way of the conductor 21 to the segment 6 on the drum v and from there, byway of'a notv shown conductor, to segment 6 'on drum c and by way of con uctor 22 to segment 3 on drum 0, by way of a not shown conductor to segment 3 on drum '0 and from here by way of conductor 23, switch S, conductor 24, magnet coil M for the type lever supporting the type D and back tothe battery 11, in such 'a manner that the letter C is now reproduced as the letter D, while immediately before it was reproduced as the letter E. l

Referring to Figs. 2 "and 3', which show the operating mechanism for the alternators, a is a key and b the key lever which is pivotally mounted at 0. On the opposite end of the lever b from the key a is a switch (I, so that-as the lever is operated, circu'itds made from the battery 0 through the conductors f and g, the electromagnet h and the conductor i. The armature j is thus "attracted by the electro-magnet h, and rotates on the shaft k which carries the armature. At the upperend of thearmature j is mounteda pawl m which engages'a ratchet wheeln, carried by the shaft Io'and connected to the drum '0 so that upon each attraction of the armature, the ratchet wheel n and the drum '21,, will be rotated one step. In this manner the drum 0,, is rotated with, respect to the drum '0 which is stationary upon the shaft.

Whenever complete revolution by the operation of a the alternator 'v is rotated a.

key, a number of consecutive times, a wheel 8 is rotated by means of gears g and r, and a tooth tycarried on. thewheel s engages a gear a and moves it forward one step. This gear 11. is secured to the drum 1),, so that corresponding rotation of this drum one step is accomplished; It will thus be seen that upon the complete rotation of the first drum, a movement of one step forward is imparted to the second drum. In the same manner, rotation is transmitted to the third drum upon completion of a complete revolution by the second drum. Rigidly secured to the shaft 1: is a handlew by means of which thedrums may be rotated backwards to initial position.

The decipherin is effected in exactly the same manner as t e here described ciphering, onl that in case of deciphering the switch should occupy the opposite position of' the. ciphering position, so that the current will now pass through. the duplex alternators in the direction opposite the one indicated above.

In deciphering care must also be taken that all the duplex alternators when deciphering commences occupy exactly the same position as occupied by the same members, when the ciphering of the same message was commenced.- In order to facilitate such adjustmen each of the du lex alternators should be tted with a mar indicating the initial position. When now, after the c tograp'hhas been properly adjusted in t is manner, the cipher message at hand iswritten on the letter keys of the cryptograph, then the type levers will be moved automatically in such a manner that the message will be reproduced in the ori inal language.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim 1s:

1. An automatic cryptograph apparatus comprising a plurality of alternators, each consisting of an outer annular rotatable body, and an inner body, each body having alternately disposed electrical contacts arranged thereon and in circuit with each other, the said alternators being in series with a key-board and type lever actuating means, the operation of the keys closing the circuit to rotate the outer bodies with respect to each other and also with respect to the inner annular body, so as to change their mutual relation thereby effecting a con- ?)taintly varied mutual transposition of sym- 2. An automatic cryptograph apparatus necting the alternators in series with the key-board and type levers, the operation of the keys effecting rotation of the alternators and causing one of the alternators to rotate a complete revolution upon the successive operation of the keys, the second and third alternators being adapted to advance one step when'the next preceding alternator has completed its revolution, whereby the mutual relation of the alternators is changed and effects a constantly varied mutual transposition of symbols.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 40 name to this specification.

HERMANN AUGUST THORVALD WAHNE.

. Witnesses FRUGELLSARD HUADEEN, V. BELSCHNER. 

